Airline company Qatar Airways has recently started operating cargo flights between Maastricht and Liège, a flight of just nine minutes.
The flight between Maastricht and Liège covers a distance of 38 kilometres, which would take a little over half an hour by train. "This is an ecological aberration," said Pierre Eyben, a Liège city councillor, reports La Libre.
Usually, the cargo flight comes from Doha, the capital of Qatar, makes a stop in Liège and then flies to Mexico. However, a new client in the Netherlands needs his cargo to be delivered in Maastricht for personal reasons, according to Qatar Airways.
"The runway in Maastricht is not long enough to allow the plane to fly to Mexico immediately afterwards. Therefore, the aircraft must be repositioned in Liège, where there is a runway for long-haul flights and the plane can take off with a full load of goods and a full tank of fuel," said the airline company, reports La Libre.
The company is reportedly looking into separate flights between Doha and Maastricht, reports De Morgen.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
